Drew Men Upset Undefeated, No. 24 DeSales to Win Tournament Title

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CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Tournament MVP Howard McBurnie, Jr. posted 16 points and 11 rebounds in the championship game as the Drew University men's basketball upset 24th-ranked and undefeated DeSales University 71-54 to win the DeSales Al Senavitis Memorial Tournament Thursday evening.

The Rangers (7-5) won their fourth game in a row while handing the Bulldogs their first loss in 13 games this season.

Drew pulled away midway through the second half, when it outscored the Bulldogs 42-22. The Blue and Green broke it open with a 24-8 run over a 9:38 stretch to take a commanding 18-point lead with just under three minutes left.

Drew captured its second Senavitis title in the last five years, as the Rangers also defeated DeSales in their last appearance at the event in 2017.

The Rangers earned their first win over a ranked opponent since a 76-74 victory over No. 11 Susquehanna University on Jan. 16, 2016. Ironically, Susquehanna was also undefeated (15-0) at the time.

McBurnie also tacked on three assists, three steals after erupting for 18 points and 17 rebounds in the team's 66-64 come-from-behind win over Hood College on Wednesday. He has now posted 10 double-doubles in 11 games this season.

Senior guard David Gervase and sophomore guard Malcolm Newman were each named to the all-tournament team after scoring 14 points apiece in the championship game. Senior guard Miles Lewis contributed eight points and seven rebounds.

The Rangers used a stifling defensive effort to hold DeSales to 23 points below their scoring average entering the game. It was also Drew's top defensive performance of the season in terms of fewest points allowed.

Matt Kachelries scored 15 points to lead the Bulldogs.

The Rangers led for most of the way in a defensive-minded first half. Drew outscored DeSales 9-3 to start the game while holding the Bulldogs to 1-of-9 shooting. However, DeSales used a 7-0 run late in the half to claim its first lead of the game and the hosts held a 32-29 lead at the intermission.

The Bulldogs led by five (40-35) just over three minutes into the second half when the Rangers answered with a 3-pointer from Newman with 16:08 left. Neither side would score for nearly two minutes before senior guard Lybrant Robinson threw down a fastbreak dunk to tie it at 40-all. DeSales came back with consecutive 3s to make it 46-40 before the Rangers embarked on their 24-8 outburst. Six different Rangers scored during the pivotal run.

McBurnie got things started when he dropped in a layup with 11:13 left. Gervase followed up with a 3-pointer before junior forward Michael Kane nailed a jumper to put the Rangers on top (47-46) for good.

Senior forward Malachi Walker, Jr., playing his second game in his return to the team, made it a 9-0 run when he splashed in a long-range shot with 10:04 remaining. The Bulldogs stopped the bleeding with a layup on their ensuing possession, and they trailed just 52-50 with 7:59 left. But that's when the Rangers got hot, scoring 16 unanswered points over the next five minutes, scoring on eight of their next nine possessions.

Lewis and McBurnie scored the next four points for Drew before Newman netted eight of the last 14 points of the run, which he capped with a pair of foul shots that made it 68-50 with 2:58 showing.

DeSales scored on a pair of lay-ups to make it a 14-point game but were blanked on their last three possessions.